Dropped Candy Edition 2: News, Praise, & Other Fun Stuff

Thank you again for signing up for the Dropped Candy mailing list! The purpose of this newsletter is to:

• a - follow and celebrate the publication of Confessions of a Candy Snatcher, my debut middle grade novel with graphic elements (i.e. super cool zines) and

• b - deliver truly unnecessary, quirky surveys (see below).
  

In this edition, I’ll share exciting news, early praise, a small project I completed for TeachingBooks.net, and a few favorite quotes from Kweli Color of Children’s Literature Conference, which I attended in-person for the first time this past spring.

First Things First, Please Pre-Order

Thank you to everyone who has already preordered a copy of CofaCS! Looking forward to you'all meeting Jonas, C., Rex and friends.

Exciting News!

In February I learned that the Junior Library Guild, a commercial book club devoted to juvenile literature (Wikipedia), purchased 2000 copies of CofaCS for distribution. This is especially exciting for me as, when I was a teen employed in the Children’s Department of my local library, I jumped at the opportunity to read books that were Junior Library Guild selections. I trusted that JLG books –whether picture books, middle grade, or YA– would be quality. It’s an honor to know some young readers will find CofaCS thanks to the Junior Library Guild.

Equally exciting, in April, audiobook rights sold for CofaCS! Rhythm is at the center of how I write, and I’m excited to hear Jonas and his friends come alive, voiced by a professional audiobook narrator. Stay tuned to learn more (no pun).

What Are People Sayin’?

I'm delighted to share some early praise for Jonas and friends.

“This story would interest middle school students and help them to realize that growing up is not always easy, but that owning up to your mistakes is always the right thing to do.” recommended by Susan Black, Retired School Librarian, Arlee, Montana for School Library Connection (SLC)

“Halloween middle reader that teaches about empathy and community. Jonas and his friends think a simple, innocent trick or treating prank leads to bigger consequences as he starts to battle his sense of conscience and values and how it affects the neighborhood. A great message of empathy is conveyed here and the use of diverse characters makes this an important read for middle grades.” - bookseller praise

TeachingBooks

This spring I recorded two entries for TeachingBooks, a database of resources about books and authors. They were fun to do, albeit nerve-wracking (thank goodness for editing). Special shout-out to my Voice & Articulation course at Emerson College, which taught me to enunciate and speak round vowels.  

Listen here:

• Meet-the-Author of Confessions of a Candy Snatcher - https://www.teachingbooks.net/ql45nr7 

• Author Name Pronunciation - https://www.teachingbooks.net/ql76qx4

Kweli Color of Children’s Literature 2023

The Kweli Color of Children’s Literature Conference is an annual spring conference organized by a nonprofit that provides an “opportunity for BIPOC writers and illustrators to learn, get inspired and network with others in the industry.” I first learned of the conference in 2020 and attended virtually when the Covid pandemic sent us all online. This year, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend in-person at Barnard College in Harlem, New York. Some of my favorite moments are featured in the Tweets below.

Learn More

About Confessions

About Phoebe

Tw: @wholeheartlocal

Insta: @wholeheartlocal

Okay . . . Take me to the bonus question results!

On the central theme / moral of The Three Billy Goats Gruff, a majority of respondents take the goat 🐐 point-of-view and believe three heads are better than one (35.3%) 🐐 🐐 🐐. Coming in second, 29.4% of goat-identifying respondents believe the tale's moral is "Solidarity, brothers!" Troll-sympathizers, 23.5% of ya'll, think the moral is "Don't be greedy."

Feel free to ask this chewy question (no pun) at your next business function, social gathering, or family phone call. You're welcome.🐐😋

Bonus Question Q&A

Q: What’s this question got to do with your novel?
A: There’s a distant literature-for-children connection. 

Q: Is there a correct answer?
A: Maybe, depending on your point-of-view. Do you identify more with goats or trolls?